Rin paints quite the fascinating world with her words of a diverse culture that reminds me of a cross between Vikings, India, Middle East and Celts with a healthy dose of magic and creatures that are equal parts fascinating and dangerous.
Tea is the youngest of five girls and one boy who hopes to one day have adventures similar to the heroes in her books but also enjoys being surrounded by her loving family.
One fateful day, everything changes when her beloved brother Fox is put to rest after dying on a military mission. Tea is understandably upset as well as her family and when compelled to speak syllables, cut her fingers and draw runes that retsult in bringing her brother back from the dead.. sort of. Think kind of zombie but has no interest in eating brains or harming others unless they threaten his sister.
Tea soon finds out that she is a Bone Witch also known as an Asha which is a special sect of witches who can raise the dead, become quite powerful and someone you want on your side. She reluctantly goes with a mysterious woman named Lady Mykaela who will soon become her mentor and confidante to learn more about her powers and how to control them.
She is soon caught up in a world of magic, mystery, adventure, unexpected friendships and a dash of danger as she learns the way of an asha and the importance of believing in yourself.
Just when things seem to be going great, a creature shows up at a special ceremony that will leave most of her fellow asha and villagers reeling from the violence of such a monster. There is something darker lurking than just the creature waiting to pounce on unsuspecting people, an enemy is closer than most people realize and will throw the reader for a loop.
This book was confusing at times with the switching of different views of the story but also hard to pull away. It ends on quite the cliff hanger which makes me really curious about next book and wanting to know what will happen to Tea and her friends.
I can't wait to see what Rin has up her sleeve next and I'm so glad I read this book!

The characters in this book are fantastic. I absolutely loved the ideas behind the story. I had a tough time with the ending. It didn't all seem together for me. I am anxious to see how things pull together in the second book.

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley an honest review.

While a lot of reviewers found this book being too detailed and slow at the end, that wasn't the case for me. This is a pretty big book for a young adult novel but I was entertained and interested the entire time, even after the 100th hua description. The characters and world building are what really make the story. Everything is beautiful and refined while being savage at the same time.

I love the end and how it goes into this grey area with Tea, it makes the character more interesting. I want to know what happened to get us to this point.

The most challenging part of this book for me was the missing feeling of movement. The way the story is told makes if somewhat passive, which ended up reducing my engagement. There wasn't really a flow that pulled me along, and the characters weren't quite strong enough to make up for a lack of action and flow like that. I did like how it flipped back and forth -from an exiled Tea telling the story in the present of the story, to the past, where Tea is learning to be a dark asha- an unusual type of asha whose powers include necromancy. While the past makes up the majority of the novel, I found the bits in the present far more compelling. While some parts were layered together quite well, so reveals weren't timed optimally, and the plot set in the past didn't have enough in terms of set up for the reveal of the person behind it.

The magic system was interesting, even if it was one I didn't fully understand, as was the role that the asha played in society. They're entertainers, healers, scholars, and warrior, and it was really interesting to see how they occupied these spheres.

Another thing that made this book a little challenging for me to read was that it didn't really have a strong sense of place. While it is clearly not set in modern times, the amount of modern slang jolted me out of the moment somewhat. I never entirely felt like I could really feel or picture the setting entirely. Likewise, a lot the character relationship didn't quite feel true, though there were a lot of interesting characters, which contributed to an overall feeling that this novel was a set up for a story to come than a strong story independently.

Overall, this book had a strong concept, and there were definitely some aspects-like the role of the asha in society- that really interested me, but it the execution wasn't strong enough to really pull me into the world or story.

I tried guys, oh man did I try! I really wanted to love this book, and if not love, then I really wanted to like and enjoy this book, but sadly that is not the case.
I Did Not Finish this book, let me be clear there. I started this book and I was super excited for it because I saw it all of Bookstagram and so many people were raving about it, so when I got the email saying I was getting a copy I squealed. I should not have squealed. While I was super excited about reading this book, I had received 2 before it and since I go in order, it was a couple months before I got to it. But since I have been trying and failing to get into this book, it has disrupted my reading of my others from Netgalley, and I really don't like that.
I think this book has a lot of potential, but I do not like the way it is being told, not that word TOLD. I hate stories that tell me what is going on instead of showing me. I can't get into stories that tell me everything without giving me evidence or details. I also really don't like how it is just information overload.
Instead of a gradual progression with information thrown in every so often it is a dump of just things. Like, who is her brother? Well here's a whole lot of information about him and the other Bone Witch just thrown at you out of no where. No, just no.
I really did want to love this book, that cover still has me stunned, but I just can't. Maybe one day I will return to it and maybe then I will enjoy it, but as it stands this day, it is sadly a DNF.

Although I received an advanced copy of this e-book from the publisher via netgalley, all opinions are my own.

This book took me a long while to get through. The first three quarters moved at such a leisurely pace, I didn't feel compelled to read it all the time like I do with some books. I loved the new (at least to me) idea of a bone witch. Kind of reminded me of final fantasy 10 with the raising of the daevas.

Tea, the main character doesn't even know she is an asha until she unwittingly resurrects her dead brother at his funeral. She is then thrust into the journey to become an Asha.

Overall, this was a good one, just not a great one for me. I am quite anxious to see what the next book brings.

PS I also loved how it goes back and forth from the past to the present. You don't know who you are hearing from until the end. That part I really enjoyed!

***I received an ARC via Netgalley. I volunteered to review the book.***

I am sad to say this book is DNF @15%. I did not get far in this book. I tried. But, I just couldn't in the end.
The blurb of the story is really nice and that is what drew me in. Magic, Witches and necromancy....What's not to love? The book is SLOW and nothing happens except for Tea raising her brother accidentally as a kid. Even that is lukewarm somewhat. Tea grew up amongst witches. Her sisters are also witches however, they are your standard, run of the mill types. Tea is different, she & her family didn't know how different until the incident with her brother. With the resurrection of her brother, another bone witch comes to town and takes Tea under her wing to teach her the ways of the asha.

The world building was not bad albeit a bit confusing for me. The whole Heartglass thing I'm not quite sure I understood it completely the purpose of it.

The book is written with Tea's past and present. Each chapter is alternating between her Past and Present. - The present takes place where a bard recounts his experiences with an exiled asha (Tea) he meets on a lonely beach of skulls. Her Past takes place, where Tea tells of her rise as a bone witch within community of witches and trained by another bone witch (Lady Mykaela) who takes her under her wing after the fiasco with her brother.

The style of writing, for me, was sort of distracting as I couldn't feel connected to her. I feel if the past had been presented every few chapters maybe, it would have been less distracting to read. Cuz every time I felt like a connection the chapter switched to present or past. Thus, breaking the link for me.

From the little bit I read...I do think there's a love triangle in the future. Although, at the point where I stopped there wasn't any reference except for what Tea said.

This book just wasn't for me. A shame cuz the cover is gorgeous.

A very promising series opener. (4 stars)

Though quite derivative of Memoirs of a Geisha I hate to use that word because The Bone Witch manages to spin a well-known idea in a fresh way. Much as Julie Kagawa's The Iron King did with Labyrinth, The Bone Witch manages to be comfortably familiar and completely unknown all in one. So rarely do you see such a deep attention to costuming in YA fantasy and while it can feel a bit plodding in description sometimes, it plays such an important role in who and what the Asha are that I enjoyed it.

While I enjoyed The Bone Witch and will definitely be reading the next novel in the series it definitely will not work for everyone. The world building is complex and yet manages to leave so much unexplained. The big climax at the end is painfully obvious from very early in the book but will certainly leave readers eager to find out what lead to it. It is these flaws that also provide a reason to want to continue the series.

If you enjoy dark fantasy and liked Avatar: The Last Airbender, Sabaa Tahir's work, or The Star-Touched Queen, I think this is a read worth picking up. It's good, not great, but makes for a series starting novel that I'm glad not to have missed. I am very much looking forward to the next one!

Here's the deal: I kept noticing how many fellow bloggers had included The Bone Witch in their TBR pile. I liked the cover and let's be honest, the title is pretty brilliant. I'd seen it enough times that I had to take a closer look. The first line of the blurb was both so chilling and straight to the point convinced me that I had to read it, too.

The Bone Witch is one of the most unique stories I've come across in a while. Tea's special ability is that she can raise the dead, a gift that's mystifying and frightening. It's not exactly something to go bragging about. Her grief-stricken misery upon the death of her beloved brother, Fox was the trigger that set off everything. She raised him from the dead and now her family and neighbours eye her suspiciously; fearfully even. Luckily, a fellow bone witch is travelling through the area and offers to take Tea under her wing. Mykayla wants to teach Tea everything in due time. But Tea is young and confused and wants answers immediately. Being away from home and everything that's familiar doesn't help either though she has Fox with her.

One of the more appealing aspects of the story is Tea's internal struggle to accept the truth that she enjoys the power she feels coursing through her when she's harnessing her abilities. She feels guilty about wanting more of something that she must to learn to control. I liked this tug of war within herself because this is where one's character is built. I liked how Chupeco split Tea's POV between the present and the past. In so doing, she created an otherworldly atmosphere in the present that appears desolate and bleak. It suggests a hard life complete with heartbreak and hard choices. Tea's POV from the past feels like life is just starting for a young, naive girl eager to learn and become stronger.

This is a story rich with detail which can be a good and bad. There were times when I felt bogged down by them. This isn't one of those stories that you can just pick up when you have a free ten minutes to fill. Chupeco has taken great care to describe as much as possible so that we can inhabit this world with Tea. Because of the complexities and the many characters involved, I picked the quieter times to read so that I could absorb the details. With that approach I wasn't at my usual reading pace.

The Bone Witch is highly imaginative and descriptive, and it's awesome to see so many people excited about it. Definitely pick this one up but make sure you have the time to devote to this story so that you can fully appreciate it.

~ Bel

DNF @ 43%

I think I did quite well making it this far! This book had so much promise, and I enjoyed it for a little well. But it was so bogged down with detail that I just lost steam. There was just not enough plot and too much world-building, coming across more like a sociological text on the culture of the asha and the kingdoms they operated in. It took a quarter of the book for even a little bit of excitement, and that barely had any impact except to trigger more description of the ashas’ way of life. Eventually, I couldn’t bring myself to turn another page, as it felt like slogging through mud.

Wonderful world building; a strong introduction to a new series and compelling characterisation. The Bone Witch delivers all of these, and resonates long after the story ends.

The start of a new, hauntingly beautiful series, The Bone Witch is a book full of dark magic and whether dark necessarily means what you think it does.

After a somewhat disappointing experience with Rin Chupeco's previous book The Girl in the Well, I was unsure if I would like her new fantasy series, but thought that the chance to read about the training of a bone witch (aka necromancer) could be fascinating. While not action packed every page of the way, this book certainly entertained and pleased me more than expected.

What this book really reminded me of was Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden, in that we encounter the main character at a young age and follow her through her training. While these segments might seem slow to readers that don't like that level of detail on that kind of subject, I quite liked it myself because it felt new and exciting. I was learning about these monstrous creatures that Tea, the titular Bone Witch, will encounter; learning about the power that brought her beloved brother back from the grave; the prejudices that she encounters from people that don't understand her abilities. There's also a fair bit in here about perspective because Tea, for example, was taught that bone witches were dark, fearful asha (this world's word for spellbinder). However, on her journey to the place where she will be taught the ways of her witchery, she encounters people that worship and adore her teacher, the Lady Mykaela, a vastly different reaction that the one Tea's fellow villagers gave her when they learned what kind of witch she was.

There were two points of view at various times throughout this story that slightly threw me at times. There is a bard that sought out the Bone Witch for her story and these portions are in italics, sometimes told from her point of view and sometimes from his. The voices in these are not entirely unique and I had to reread a couple to remind myself who was speaking. This wasn't a large inconvenience, but being brought out of the story by the abrupt change of perspective and realizing it wasn't who I thought brought the storytelling down a bit in my estimation.

This is the perfect book for a long afternoon of reading, as I think it would benefit the reader most to be able to sink into the story. You'll really be able to absorb Tea's venture toward the asha future her training is preparing her for. Please, grab a cup of tea, coffee, etc. and enjoy this necromancer's fantastical journey into a land of witches, monsters, and intricate magics.

I absolutely adored this book! I felt that the characters were very well-developed and enjoyed reading Chupeco's skill as a storyteller.

This is an excellent book to judge by its cover. The world is as complex and interesting as the cover would have you believe. The characters are a bit of a let down, I feel more attention could have been paid to character building as much as Chupeco did to world-building.

DNF at 15%. The idea behind this book was interesting and I really did want to read it, there was just one thing that I couldn't get over.

So, before each of the chapters truly starts there is an italicized section. In this section is this traveling bard person who I believe is talking to Tea about her adventures as a bone witch. Now, that was interesting. And cool. I love bards and stuff like that so I was totally into it. Anyway, the bard is talking to Tea and Tea is telling (him? her? not sure) them about what was going on. I take issue with this because Tea would explain things and then the chapter that comes afterward is just an elaboration on what Tea told the bard. Tea would say, "My heart stone thing was purple," and then the chapter was all about why her heart stone was purple, what that means, and anything else dealing with her heart stone being purple.

Okay, so it wasn't that situation exactly, but one that I do remember is that Tea told the bard that she had only been in love with two guys and she happened to meet them both on the same night...and then she proceeds to explain exactly how it happened. I guess my issue is, those italicized sections are giving me a summary of what's going to be talked about in the actual chapter like it's some kind of a chapter description. And I really didn't like that. I should know the basics of what's going on in the story from the story description, but I don't want a play-by-play. Please don't map out each chapter for me.

Maybe this isn't such a big deal, but I had a really hard time with it. And if I'm being honest, I actually preferred the italicized sections. I liked the way they were written much better. I'm a person with whom less is more, and the chapters that just elaborated on the italicized parts felt like too much.

So I guess if you don't mind this idea, I would give it a try. I can't really recommend this book based on content because I was more focused on the format, rather than what it was actually saying.

DNF @47%

I literally never don't finish books, but unfortunately, I can't keep reading this one. I wanted to like this so much because the premise sounded so great, but I just can't get through it. There was way too much information given with no explanations so I'm struggling to understand what the made up words mean. There is a ton of description given to everything (food, clothes, etc) but nothing is happening! I'm halfway through and literally nothing has happened.

The characters also feel really flat to me. I don't feel anything for any of them. I feel bad about not finishing this one, but it's just not for me.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for providing my eARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Bone Witch by Rin Chupeco is a YA fantasy novel about Tea, who is born into a world of witches and magic. Witchery runs in her family bloodline, though it seems to have skipped her. That is until she inadvertently, brings her brother, Fox, back to life from the dead. With her fledgling powers as a rare witch known as a Bone Witch (necromancer), she is taken under the wing of another Bone Witch, Mykaela to be trained away from home to become an asha.

From the start, Rin Chupeco's Bone Witch is one-of-kind and unique with its amazing world-building and with a lot of attention to details. I also found the back and forth narratives from the present (the Bard) and the past/flashbacks (Tea) to be intriguing and very reminiscent of the narrative structure found in Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights and Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. Or even the 1998 NBC miniseries, Merlin. With the alternating from present to past, I felt there was added emotion that I may have not felt otherwise. Also, with Tea's telling her story to the Bard, she includes foreshadowing of what's to come with a turn of phrase, building up the suspense with a sense of foreboding and anticipation of something coming.

“Apology accepted, Sir Khalad,” I assured him, smiling, unaware then, of the irony of my next words.
“If there is one thing I have learned from both our trades, it is that we must always be in the business of forgiveness, lest we become consumed by our anger.”

I would definitely classify Bone Witch as the introduction or beginning of a bigger series. Ms. Chupeco does a terrific job of creating a fascinating world and magic system that I hope we will get more time to explore, actively, in future books.

A favorite concept that I enjoyed was that of the heartsglasses and the heartforgers. It brought a whole new meaning to the idea of wearing "your heart on your sleeve". They play such a big role in Bone Witch, and I am very interested in how both will be used in regards to Tea and her motivations, as well as, who her true allies or enemies are. For example, I am dying to know more about the Heartforger apprentice, Khalad. The fact that one of Ms. Chupeco's future books is titled, The Heart Forger has me hopeful that we may get to.

My only complaint would be, at times, the pacing seemed to slow down a bit, and it was then I would have liked more action to keep the pace moving.

Overall, Bone Witch by Rin Chupeco is an amazing beginning to a new series with an ending that leaves you wanting to know what happens next. Tea is an interesting character and I want to know more about her especially how she goes from who she is in the past to who she is in the present (a kind of Elphaba from Wicked or Anakin Skywalker turned Darth Vader, so to speak, character). I am excited for the next book and very much recommend.

(I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book I received from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my open and honest review.)

The world Chupeco has created reminded me very much of the Geisha's in Japan, but with magic infused into the culture. The concept of the daeva was interesting as well. Creatures that rise from their deaths after a certain length of time, so they are never truly killed. I also liked the fact that the Bone Witches can control them to a certain extent. The second story that was being told at the same time as Tea's rise to Asha status was a little disconcerting at times. But eventually I came to see how the two intertwined with each other.

The characters of Prince Kance and his cousin Kalen were interesting and I think there will eventually be a love triangle in their future. I think that Kalen started to appreciate Tea's abilities and how that would affect the kingdoms and Prince Kance towards the end. I think that his feelings about and for her will change in the next book. I also found the parallel story of Mykaela's lost love and Tea and Kance's relationship very interesting.

The ending was totally gripping, and had an unexpected twist as well. All in all, I thought that this was an amazing world that the author has created. I will certainly continue with the series and I am looking forward to seeing how Tea grows into the powerful Bone Witch we see in the second narrative.